This invention relates to bathtub drain valve controls. More particularly it relates to a drain control that is operated by an overflow cover that forms a smooth extension of the tub wall.
Almost all bathtubs have a drain opening at the bottom for draining out the water and a valve located in that drain opening for closing the drain. Such bathtubs usually have an overflow opening which is in fluid communication with the drain. The overflow opening is located on a vertical wall of the tub and permits water to flow out to the drain in order to prevent the tub from overflowing in case someone forgets to turn off the water or in case a person enters the tub and raises the water level to too high a level.
Usually, a stationary overflow plate is mounted on the tub to conceal the overflow hole from view while leaving a bottom hole open. The overflow plate is usually fixed on the bathtub wall and juts out from the normal surface of the wall. It is also common for a drain control lever to be movably mounted on the fixed overflow plate and to extend into the tub. The drain control lever is then connected through linkages to the drain valve at the bottom of the tub.
One problem with such drain valve controls and overflow plates of the prior art is that they project out into the tub so that they would stick into the back of a person who tries to lean against the wall in which they are mounted. This limits the use of many tubs to one person at a time.
To solve this problem, there have been attempts to separate the overflow cover and drain lever (by recessing the trip lever in a pocket and then using a separate cover to form a smooth rest surface). Such systems require the user to both lift the cover and also trip a separate lever to control the drain.